Bearing False Witness

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (10) 

The Ten Commandments

9th Commandment

This commandment applied principally to public conduct in court or in public, for the obvious purposes of justice and a stable society. In the theological setting, it applies to everything. If you speak against another with something that isn’t true, it shows you do not carry trust and honor in your character. This hurts you first before it carries far down the line, depending on the nature of the lie. People you don’t even know are affected. One of the things that allow a healthy life and relationships is when you can stand before God with a clean heart because you faced up to your dishonesty. This means you become committed to the truth day-to-day.  Only God can return the truth to you on each and every lie you have told or will tell on your fellow man. There are secular laws that guard against lying against another, but to stop it completely you apply honesty to everything you do. God will be with you every step of the way when you ask for his help. 

Exodus 20:16 (AMPC) 16 You shall not witness falsely against your neighbor. 

Romans 13:9 (AMPC) 9 The commandments, You shall not commit adultery, You shall not kill, You shall not steal, You shall not covet (have an evil desire), and any other commandment, are summed up in the single command, You shall love your neighbor as [you do] yourself.

11/1/2026

You Shall not Steal

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (9) 

The Ten Commandments

8th Commandment

There are probably more forms of stealing than murder: Cheats, swindlers, thieves, “greedy graspers,” embezzlers, intellectual property theft, slanderers, libels, extortioners, identity thieves and robbers are just some forms of stealing. Finding out someone has stolen from you is a violence on you, especially when it is someone you cared for or trusted. As with other commandments, it is a breach in relationship whether you steal from someone you know or are engaged in large scale fraud of a corporate entity or government. No family, community or country can operate in its own interests when you fear someone can steal from you without recourse. You honor God and relationships by being trustworthy and respecting what belongs to other people. Successful homes and societies make this a core value with significant consequences when it is broken.

Exodus 20:15 (AMPC) 15 You shall not steal.

1 Corinthians 6:10 (AMPC) 10 Nor cheats (swindlers and thieves), nor greedy graspers, nor drunkards, nor foulmouthed revilers and slanderers, nor extortioners and robbers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God.

10/25/2026

Adultry

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (8) 

The Ten Commandments

7th Commandment

God’s imperative to “be fruitful and multiply” was given to Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and to all the Jews during the Exile.  Creating families is a proud tradition among those who cherish God, as well as non-believers. Yet, in this, mankind stumbles. In the Bible, adultery refers to a lack of faith in, and loyalty to, God and the ones who love you the most. All that is sacred in you was determined before your birth. God sends your spouse to you to love you as God loves you. Adultery and fidelity must be considered in this light.  God gives you all you need to keep things honest and strong in your marriage covenant. If you believe you must bend this commandment for a little fun and excitement, you will have to face the consequences of breaking God’s law.  It may not be today, but that time will come.  To avoid all this, you must place God and others before your own sinful nature. When you fall to the enemy’s temptations of anger, blame, a critical spirit and unfaithfulness, believing they come from your spouse instead of the sin within you, you produce an instability that is felt far beyond yourself and your sin.  In (Hosea 5:3 (TLB)), it is shown that adultery, as well as disrespect and disloyalty to God, are aligned. Devotion and loyalty to God and your home is the first step toward all that is good in this world. 

Exodus 20:14 (TLB) 14 “You must not commit adultery.

Matthew 15:19 (TLB) 15 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, fornication, theft, lying, and slander.

10/18/2026

You Shall Not Commit Murder

Shared Values of the Old and New Testament

The Universal Lawmaker (7) 

The Ten Commandments

6th Commandment

The Hebrews had a system of laws that created categories for manslaughter, negligent homicide and accidental killing that came directly from them to the laws in place today. The original story of Cain and Abel describes first degree murder. Cain had malice aforethought, the intention and hate in his heart that drives crimes of this type. Murder is about hate that develops and grows when you do not control your emotions and responses. This control must be taught from early childhood, or learned after causing much suffering and destruction as time moves on.  Moderating your responses to circumstances that pain you comes through training and allowing the Holy Spirit to live in you.  Untethered tantrums and disrespect may be developmental in nature in infancy, but without training they can turn into criminal behavior. God helps everyone with these issues when you ask and when you refuse to give up on him to show you the way to avoid the hate that is central to murder and crime in general. 

Exodus 20:13 (AMPC) 13 You shall not commit murder.

Mark 7:20-23 (TLB) 20 And then he added, “It is the thought-life that pollutes. 21 For from within, out of men’s hearts, come evil thoughts of lust, theft, murder, adultery, 22 wanting what belongs to others, wickedness, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, pride, and all other folly. 23 All these vile things come from within; they are what pollute you and make you unfit for God.”

10/11/2026

Honor your Father and your Mother

 

 Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (6) 

The Ten Commandments

5th Commandment

To honor your father and mother does not mean blind obedience, although it does very much relate to the ability to obey parents and respect authority. It means giving great weight - a holiness - to what your father and mother are here to do for you, even if done imperfectly and all are imperfect.  A child cannot develop properly, or take up their position in this world without being at peace or making peace with their parents and those who have come before them. The opposite of honoring is to curse, disrespect or scorn your father and your mother and that is certainly not acceptable in any society.  Even when deserved, those who curse or scorn their parents are not really respected by others in this respect, because it is an unnatural thing (in their minds).  God will always work with you to overcome conditions like this because so much depends upon it. 

Exodus 20:12 (AMPC) 12 Regard (treat with honor, due obedience, and courtesy) your father and mother, that your days may be long in the land the Lord your God gives you.

Matthew 15:4 (AMPC) 4 For God commanded, Honor your father and your mother, and, He who curses or reviles or speaks evil of or abuses or treats improperly his father or mother, let him surely come to his end by death. 

10/4/2026

The Ray of Hope

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

Redemption (2)

These verses written by Jeremiah in Lamentations reflect a personal and national time of pain and regret for the Hebrew people. They were living under the rule of their lifetime enemies and only had themselves to blame. When you know what they were doing to get themselves there, you would not feel sorry for them. But the God of the Bible is a redemptive God. He offers hope and forgiveness when you realize what you have done and want to make it right with him. Punishment and grief is part of the learning process, but they are temporary.  God’s love and desire to be with you and in you is eternal. 

Lamentations 3:20-22 (TLB) 20 For I can never forget these awful years; always my soul will live in utter shame. 21 Yet there is one ray of hope: 22 his compassion never ends. It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.

James 1:21 (TLB) 21 So get rid of all that is wrong in your life, both inside and outside, and humbly be glad for the wonderful message we have received, for it is able to save our souls as it takes hold of our hearts.

9/27/2026

Sabbath Rest

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments
The Universal Lawmaker (5) 

The Ten Commandments 

4th Commandment

Do you know the commandment to observe the Sabbath day is not repeated in the New Testament?  The Apostle Paul taught that being right with God did not come from observing the traditional holy days, food restrictions, or Sabbaths (Colossians 2:16–17 (AMPC). “Commandments” are prevalent throughout the Old Testament. The New Testament took them and the laws associated with them and in some instances added to them (i.e., adultery takes place in your mind, not simply in a physical follow-through), and there were some commands where Christ’s sacrifice replaced the purposes of of specific laws. In the Old Testament, 613 laws were created that specifically related to the 10 Commandments. They were the law and brought condemnation, even death, when they were not followed. These requirements were often beyond the understanding of the priestly class, let alone the normal Jewish believer’s knowledge and ability to follow them.  What is consistent is that there is a discipline inherent in humans remembering who they are and who God is. In fact, it is a necessity. God set a day for himself to rest and reflect and if he did, why would you believe you don’t need to? 

Exodus 20:8-11 (AMPC) 8 [Earnestly] remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy (withdrawn from common employment and dedicated to God). 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 But the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord your God; in it you shall not do any work, you, or your son, your daughter, your manservant, your maidservant, your domestic animals, or the sojourner within your gates. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, and rested the seventh day. That is why the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and hallowed it [set it apart for His purposes].

Hebrews 4:9–10 (AMPC) 9 So then, there is still awaiting a full and complete Sabbath-rest reserved for the [true] people of God;10 For he who has once entered [God’s] rest also has ceased from [the weariness and pain] of human labors, just as God rested from those labors peculiarly His own.

9/20/2026

What is Taking the Lord's Name in Vain?

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (4) 

The Ten Commandments
3rd Commandment

Most identify the third commandment as meaning you are not to use the Lord’s name as a swear word (or as an adjective to a swear word).  This is true, but the commandment is a whole lot more. The Bible says those who belong to God are a reflection of who he is. He chose you before you chose him. You have direct access to God’s counsel in all matters.  Attempting to cloak and justify ungodly actions by attaching God’s name to them shows a willingness to hurt and destroy.  You attach his name and yours to what is false, deceptive or dark. This invites being called out as a hypocrite and this is one of the most destructive beliefs dogging those of faith and of helping others know God. Verse 7 says that God holds those who use his name in this way (in vain) accountable to him. When you know you are not living up to and in God's ways, talk to him about it. He is faithful to forgive and to make it right for you and those you have harmed in this way. 

Exodus 20:7 (AMPC) 7 You shall not use or repeat the name of the Lord your God in vain [that is, lightly or frivolously, in false affirmations or profanely]; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain.

Colossians 3:17 (AMPC) 17 And whatever you do [no matter what it is] in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus and in [dependence upon] His Person, giving praise to God the Father through Him.

9/13/2026

Mankind Created in the Image of God

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

 Humans Created in God’s Image

To be a human created in God’s image means each person is inherently connected to God.  He is your Creator and Father. You are able to act beyond instinct, choose right from wrong, think abstractly, have dominion over matters of this Earth, and create the kind of governments and families God can bless. You need to learn how to do these things, of course, but he has placed this in you. God grants dignity and value to each person, not by race, a parent’s wealth, social class or achievement. He equips you to work and live with others under these criteria. This is how you are made.  Whether you live up to these values and belief in God’s plan for you is determined by your faith in God and your willingness to work with Him.

Genesis 1:26-27 (NIV) 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.

James 3:9-10 (NIV) 9 With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness. 10 Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be.

9/6/2026

Admitting Mistakes and Sins

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

Forgiveness (2)

Some will never admit to mistakes or sin. The Old and the New Testaments speak of the cleansing effects of admitting your mistakes WHEN you simultaneously desire to never repeat them. Everyone, not just you, will always have the need to admit to sin and mistakes, even those you vowed never to repeat.  There is only one person who never sinned here on earth and you are not that person. You cannot be healed from the disastrous effects of mistakes and sins if you do not face up to them and share with God and those who can pray with you. These verses communicate the beautiful rewards when you seek forgiveness: The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.

Proverbs 28:13 (TLB) 13 A man who refuses to admit his mistakes can never be successful. But if he confesses and forsakes them, he gets another chance.

James 5:16 (TLB) 16 Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous man has great power and wonderful results.

8/30/2026

Each Generation

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (4)

Do you know there are 2 times the 10 Commandments were given to Israel? One is Exodus 20:1-17 and presented on Mount Sinai to those Moses lead out of Egypt. The other is Deuteronomy 5:6-21, given to the the second generation of those present at Mt. Sinai. The Old and New Testaments emphasize passing spiritual law and understanding to each generation. It is not a transfer by osmosis or assuming your example is enough. It is active, conscious teaching, as seen today in church and temple communities, structured scriptural study, social activities, and parental relationship.

Psalm 78:5-6 (NIV)  5 He decreed statutes for Jacob and established the law in Israel, which he commanded our ancestors to teach their children, 6 so the next generation would know them, even the children yet to be born and they in turn would tell their children. 

Ephesians 6:4 (AMPC) 4 Fathers, do not irritate and provoke your children to anger [do not exasperate them to resentment], but rear them [tenderly] in the training and discipline and the counsel and admonition of the Lord.

8/23/2026

No Other Gods Before Me

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (3) 

The Ten Commandments

2nd Commandment

Faith and behavior is a legacy you pass on, whether you know it or not. Putting God above “idols” is the legacy you want. In Bible times, idol worshiping was the norm, and God made it clear that it would only lead to ruin. To be fair, idol worshiping is as common today as it was then. You may not bow down to a golden calf, but you and God know your thoughts and resulting behavior. Today, you have unlimited access to learning God’s way.  Yet, without the plethora of information available today, the new Christians in Corinth got it right - placing God above past idolizations (addictions, darkness and all manner of sin) makes a huge difference in you and those around you. He is faithful to work with you as you ask.

Exodus 20:4-6 (NLT) 4 “You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind or an image of anything in the heavens or on the earth or in the sea. 5 You must not bow down to them or worship them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God who will not tolerate your affection for any other gods. I lay the sins of the parents upon their children; the entire family is affected—even children in the third and fourth generations of those who reject me. 6 But I lavish unfailing love for a thousand generations on those who love me and obey my commands.

1 Thessalonians 1:8-9 (NLT} 8 And now the word of the Lord is ringing out from you to people everywhere, even beyond Macedonia and Achaia, for wherever we go we find people telling us about your faith in God. We don’t need to tell them about it, 9 for they keep talking about the wonderful welcome you gave us and how you turned away from idols to serve the living and true God.

8/16/2026

I Am the Lord Your God

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

The Universal Lawmaker (2) 

The Ten Commandments

1st Commandment

Both testaments are consistent that if you want to escape the “place of your slavery” and live freely, you go to God. He is the one who rescues you from your “Egypt.”  In practice, you learn God’s ways, check in with him as you go about your day, and listen for his direction. His voice is different than those you hear around you and you will learn to recognize it. He is for you and he needs your full attention when he works on your behalf.  You can trust that God knows the freedom that is best for you, whether it is where you live, who you love or what you do. 

Exodus 20:2-3 (NLT)  2 “I am the Lord your God, who rescued you from the land of Egypt, the place of your slavery. 3 “You must not have any other god but me. 

1 Corinthians 8:5-6 (NLT)  5 There may be so-called gods both in heaven and on earth, and some people actually worship many gods and many lords. 6 But for us, There is one God, the Father, by whom all things were created, and for whom we live. And there is one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom all things were created and through whom we live.

8/9/2026

Choose Life

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

Objective Standard of Good and Evil

 

God’s love is relentless to those who surrender to him. At the same time, Jesus said Satan is the ruler of this earthly world. The Old Testament used the term “life and death” as the choice you have to make. There is no way to navigate life here without trusting that God establishes who and what is evil and provides you with the information you need to understand the difference. The father of all lies does not care at all how heinous and horrifying his acts are as long as he gets what he thinks is a one-up on God. God is his target, you do not matter at all to him. 

Deuteronomy 30:15-16 (TLB) 15 “Look, today I have set before you life and death, depending on whether you obey or disobey. 16 I have commanded you today to love the Lord your God and to follow his paths and to keep his laws, so that you will live and become a great nation, and so that the Lord your God will bless you and the land you are about to possess. 

John 8:44 (TLB) 44 For you are the children of your father the devil and you love to do the evil things he does. He was a murderer from the beginning and a hater of truth—there is not an iota of truth in him. When he lies, it is perfectly normal; for he is the father of liars.

8/2/2026

Redemption

 

Shared Values of the Old and New Testaments

Redemption

God sent the people of Judah away for 70 years from the land they loved to be governed by their enemies. He promised them he would do that and he also promised they would be returned to their homeland when they were ready to ask for forgiveness of the sins that got them there. God is a God of redemption, grace, and mercy in the Old and New Testament. These scriptures show anyone with an honest desire to know God can BOLDLY go to him in any circumstance and be fully redeemed. 

Zechariah 10:6-7 (TLB) 6 “I will strengthen Judah, yes, and Israel too; I will reestablish them because I love them. It will be as though I had never cast them all away, for I, the Lord their God, will hear their cries. 7 They shall be like mighty warriors. They shall be happy as with wine. Their children, too, shall see the mercies of the Lord and be glad. Their hearts shall rejoice in the Lord. will be under my personal care.”

Hebrews 4:16 (TLB)  16 So let us come boldly to the very throne of God and stay there to receive his mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.

7/26/2026